Sky Sports presenter breaks silence on quitting over fan abuse and reveals ‘lovely’ support from F1 icon Lewis Hamilton

FORMER Sky Sports F1 presenter Rachel Brookes has opened up about her sudden departure from the channel. The 51-year-old left Sky Sports in June, a few days before the Austrian Grand Prix. Rachel Brookes has opened up about her sudden departure from Sky Sports F1 Credit: Getty Brookes left the broadcaster in June Credit: Alamy Brookes also said that she would be moving on to “exciting new ventures” and hinted that she would be staying in the sport. And now, over a month after stepping away, the presenter has opened up about her exit for the first time. Sign up for the Sport newsletter Thank you! Speaking on the Essential F1 podcast, she said: “It appeared very sudden, but it wasn’t. “I had a chance to say goodbye to people in the paddock, to people I worked with, teams, drivers.” Brookes went on to reveal that she had a heartwarming conversation with Lewis Hamilton at the end of her final race weekend, adding: “I actually had a chance to say goodbye to Lewis. “I had a lovely chat with Lewis. I got some time with Lewis to have a conversation. “He was, as you would imagine, really, really lovely, very supportive. “I won’t divulge everything that was said but it was caught by some photographers. Most read in Sport CASINO SPECIAL – BEST CASINO BONUSES FROM £10 DEPOSITS Lewis Hamilton was ‘very supportive’ of Brookes Credit: Getty “There’s a lovely photo at the end of it where he gives me a massive hug and he says ‘I hope I see you back in the paddock soon’, which was really lovely. “In Canada, I was finishing media in the TV interview pen and Charles Leclerc had just finished his interviews and was just walking back out. “I was stood by my camera and he just gave me the biggest hug. Didn’t say a word just gave me the biggest hug. “So obviously someone had told him and I just said ‘thank you’ and he left. “There were a few drivers I didn’t get to say goodbye to, just as it happened. I was at home the day after it had been announced and I get these little video messages from a couple of drivers as well, who said ‘we’re going to miss you’. It was really, really lovely. “The paddock is a family. It’s an amazing place. I kind of didn’t think anyone would notice but the teams and the drivers, it is one big family and it is amazing. I was quite overwhelmed by the response from everybody.” Brookes also denied claims that her departure was linked to the online abuse she suffered following an interview with Max Verstappen last year. The presenter received a series of negative comments after speaking to Verstappen about his clash with George Russell following the 2025 Spanish Grand Prix. In the interview, she asked if the Dutchman had deliberately made contact with his Mercedes rival, prompting Verstappen to respond: “Does it matter?” Brookes opened up about the “horrific” abuse in the wake of the conversation. But it did not impact her decision to leave earlier this year. She continued: “It was nothing to do with comments and abuse I got online last year at all. “That was resolved very quickly, and I’ve got a great relationship with Max. So absolutely nothing to do with that. “I know a lot of people thought that, and there were some articles written. Absolutely not the case at all.” F1 2026 RACE CALENDAR: ALL THE INFO YOU NEED Comment now